The Memorial Union began as a dream in the minds of students, but even they couldn’t predict where the building and its services would be today, 75 years later.

Tuesday, Sept. 23 marks three quarters of a century for one of Iowa State’s most used and well-known locations on campus.

The Union has historically been a center of activity. It is the entrance to the university and the center of life outside the classroom, said Elizabeth Beck, a member of the anniversary planning committee and director of the university honors program.

“Without the Union there would be a gaping hole in student life,” said Memorial Union Board of Directors member and 2002 graduate Alex Olson.

There is no other common location that cuts across colleges, living areas, hometowns and more; the MU resembles the diversity of Iowa State as well as the United States, he said.

When the MU was built in 1929, it was much smaller than its current dimensions. The Great Hall was the farthest room to the south and the third and fourth floors were not finished. Gold Star Hall stuck out from the main building like a tube.

The Union was, until recently, student owned. In 1919, World War I had just ended and memorials were being built all over the nation, said Kathy Svec, program coordinator for the Union.

F.M. Russel, editor of the Iowa State student newspaper at the time — The Iowa State Student — favored the idea of what he called a “living memorial.”

Russel proposed a building to commemorate those who had lost their lives in the war and to serve the social functions of students, she said.

At that time colleges were not allowed to go into debt, so in 1919, students, faculty and alumni joined together to form a private, nonprofit organization, called the Iowa State Memorial Union Corporation.

Eventually, rallies in support of the building’s construction were held on the chosen site for the Union. Fund raising began and continued throughout the 1920s.

A “life membership” program was created in which donors could pay $100 and were guaranteed discounts and the use of the services found in the completed facility.

By 1927, more than $1 million had been raised for the Union’s construction through life memberships and donations, Svec said.

The MU opened to students one year later, on Sept. 23, 1928.

As part of the celebration, three more stars will be dedicated in Gold Star Hall, Beck said.

“The main entry to the Union is Gold Star Hall; when you walk in you can feel it’s a memorial to students and you know former students gave the ultimate sacrifice for your freedom,” Olson said.

Gold Star Hall serves as a testimony to that sacrifice — one that needs to be honored, he said.

In recognition of the MU’s role as a memorial, three names will be added to the wall in Gold Star Hall. The dedication ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. Tuesday in the Campanile Room.

The anniversary is connecting what has always gone on to the current generation of students through many of the other activities planned; music and dancing have been present since year one, Svec said.

Saturday the MU will host a night of music and dance. On Sunday the Great Hall will be host to a more unconventional event: paper airplane flying. The Student Union Board is sponsoring a wacky tournament evening, with a chili supper from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Slinky races, goofy bowling and more will take place throughout the MU.

A 15 member board, the 75th Anniversary Planning Committee, started planning the MU’s birthday celebration in November 2002.

The anniversary committee was comprised of students and alumni from all years; Beck said the wide variety of activities reflects certain things are important to different people.

The MU has many features that serve as a visual identity for campus, which will be included in the tours held at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesday. Features such as the Four Seasons Fountain and the Zodiac are important campus icons and are instantly recognizable, Beck said.

Eddie Noethe, a 1977 graduate, reminisced about times he walked around the Zodiac to avoid failing his next test — something students continue to do today.

Many of Noethe’s memories of campus included time spent in the Maintenance Shop.

“If you weren’t at the M-Shop by 12:30 [p.m.] Friday, you didn’t get a seat,” said Noethe — who admitted his primary use of the MU was “cashing checks, drinking beer and buying books … I wasn’t much of a student.”

The MU isn’t all fun and games; it also provides serious services for serious students.

The MU has a quarter-million square feet of resources for students, Beck said.

The services provided in the MU have changed from barber and beauty shop to post office, computer labs and a parking ramp. Places for student organizations and guest rooms have always been available. Hundreds to thousands of students have “found their place” in the Union, and it has worn well to fit their needs, she said.

As an alumnus, Olson still uses the Union for meetings and social occasions.

“I’m drawn back because of the fun I’ve had there,” he said. “We have had tremendous fun as a student body in the past 75 years [in the MU].”